The withdrawal would close the latest chapter in a U.S. military presence in Iraq that began with the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
By Catholics for Catholics
After being in the country for over 20 years, U.S.-led coalition forces are set to leave Iraq by the end of September, according to a story by the Epoch Times.
Li Falih al-Zaidi, Iraq’s Prime Minister A and U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper reaffirmed what Baghdad described as a “full and final” agreement to end the coalition’s military mission.
Cooper and Al-Zaidi met in Baghdad on Aug. 12 and corroborated that Sept. 30 remains the set deadline for completing the departure of coalition forces, according to a statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office.
“October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state,” al-Zaidi said, adding that Iraq would then have no foreign military presence on its territory, and would be responsible for protecting its own security and stability.
“On the 30th of September, the U.S. forces will be out of Iraq, while these companies will be inside Iraq,” al-Zaidi said at the meeting with President Donald Trump, with his office announcing that American companies such as HKN Energy and Halliburton, as well as General Electric and Chevron, would be engaged in projects in Iraq.
“We have tremendous oil partnerships all of a sudden being formed over the last short period of time,” Trump said, predicting even closer U.S.–Iraqi business ties in the future.
The American withdrawal would close the latest chapter in a U.S. military presence in Iraq that started with the 2003 invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein.
Both the American and Iraqi sides upheld the agreement reached during al-Zaidi’s July visit to Washington and said U.S.–Iraqi relations would more and more tilt toward economic development and security cooperation based on common interests, per the statement from the Iraqi leader’s office.
Save and Share This Catholic Patriotic Minute!
